GoPro has a couple of methods right here and there value mentioning, although. As somebody who likes to deal with colour grading in postproduction software program, the brand new, improved Log video help may be very welcome. I’d go as far as to say that is the very best Log profile I’ve seen in an motion digital camera. The Hero 13 Black additionally has a brand new slow-motion burst mode which might document 5.3K footage at 120 frames per second. It pulls that off for under 5 seconds, although, so that is greatest used for conditions like your child going off a bounce on their bike or diving within the pool—fast moments you need to decelerate later.
One other large video enchancment is HDR help and hybrid log-gamma (HLG) HDR video. The Hero 12’s HDR help was not nice, however HLG HDR is a extensively used open supply HDR format that provides significantly better compatibility with non-wide-color-gamut shows. The footage additionally appears significantly better than the earlier model.
I stated above that the Hero 13 is similar dimension, which is true on the skin, however internally that is not the case. GoPro has enlarged the battery compartment to suit an even bigger battery that the corporate claims will final 10 p.c longer than the Hero 12’s battery. I discovered this to be roughly true. Taking pictures a 4K video with the Hero 13, I persistently coaxed it for about an hour and 45 minutes, typically up over the 1:50 mark if there was extra air flow (driving a motorcycle for instance).
The alternative was additionally true. Taking pictures by way of the window of a automobile for example, with virtually no air flow, noticed recording time go all the way down to round an hour. I’ve not had an opportunity to check it in chilly climate, however GoPro claims enhancements there too. Total that is about 15 to twenty minutes longer throughout the board than I typically get with the Hero 12, which is nice, but it surely’s nicely behind the brand new DJI Motion 5 Professional, which had no bother operating nicely over 2 hours and half-hour within the 4K check. The Hero nonetheless has the worst battery life within the motion digital camera market and the brand new battery, whereas improved, additionally means your outdated batteries will not work, including a large price to these seeking to improve.
One attention-grabbing battery-related addition to the Hero 13 Black is the brand new magnetic cost door, which GoPro calls Contacto. It is a USB-C pass-through door with a magnetic charger on the skin, permitting you to energy the GoPro utilizing an exterior battery with out holding the battery door off. There have lengthy been USB-C pass-through doorways obtainable from third-party sellers, however that is the one one I am conscious of that is waterproof, which suggests in case you overlook you’ve got it on and bounce within the ocean, you will not fry your GoPro.
